Quick cure for community's health: Stop smoking

It was 50 years ago this week the Surgeon General warned the American Public that smoking was directly linked to fatal diseases.

That warning took a long time to take hold with us. Many still have not got the message.

In Ohio, 23.3 percent of adults smoke. Among youth aged 12-17 years, 12.9 percent smoke in Ohio. Ohio ranks 46th among states in youth smoking.

A new report from the Surgeon General reports the cost of smoking is worse than we thought. This year 480,000 Americans will die from diseases, including diabetes, colorectal cancer and liver cancer linked to smoking. Smoking has now been linked to rheumatoid arthritis, erectile dysfunction and macular degeneration.

The truth is, we don't really need the warnings from the Surgeon General. Anyone who has ever smoked knows it is not good for them. The signs come early and the reminders visit frequently. If you have smoked and quit - even unsuccessfully - the evidence is even more convincing. It only takes a few days of a smoke-free life to start feeling better.

Adults are free to make bad decisions. Many of us do so every day. Smoking is just one of many bad health decisions we make.

We, however, live in a community where a high percentage of children have reported having smoked.

We're hoping those numbers have improved over the last few years, but the truth is any percentage of children doing something we know - so definitely - is bad for them is unacceptable.

Health is an important factor in Mansfield becoming a thriving, growing, attractive place to live. Helping adults quit smoking and preventing kids from starting would go a long way towards improving our health.

The Tobacco Free Ohio Alliance says there are three proven way to reduce smoking:

? Adequately funding programs to help prevent young people from becoming addicted to tobacco and help those already addicted to quit